Web presses are rotary printing presses that print on a continuous roll of paper or other material called a web, rather than on individual sheets of cut paper. Web paper is less expensive than cut paper, and web presses are suited to any type of large-volume and/or high-speed printing. They are most commonly used to print newspapers, magazines, and catalogs. Unlike sheet-fed presses, web presses can also print on plastic or foil surfaces for package and label printing.
Many common web press print jobs are executed by passing a web between two printers. In one such job, requiring printing on two sides of a web, a first engine prints on one side of the web, and a second print engine prints on the other side. Another such job requires printing on one side only, but the first printer executes only a portion of the print (such as black and white text) and the second printer executes the remaining portion of the print (such as color highlights). This technique optimizes speed in certain print jobs since color generally prints slower than black and white but is often less pervasive on a page.
Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements.